Automatic rate correcting mechanism for clocks or the like



F. LUX

June 21, 1960 AUTOMATIC RATE CORRECTING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 30, 1955 INVENTOR United States Patent AUTOMATIC RATE CORRECTING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS OR THE LIKE Frederick Lux, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to The Lux Clock Manufacturing Company, Inc., Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 30, 1955, Ser. No. 531,326

Claims. (Cl. 58-109) This invention relates to an automatic rate correcting mechanism for clocks, and more particularly to a construction wherein the clock mechanism will be regulated for faster or slower movement when the hands are set in one direction or the other.

The invention is particularly advantageous in connection with clocks, the running rate of which is controlled by an escapement, and which are automatically wound in any manner, as distinguished from clocks which are wound by hand. In clocks of this type the only attention needed is to set and to regulate them, and the purpose of the invention is to eliminate the necessity for any effort to regulate the clock in addition to that required to set it.

In all clocks, where the timing element is a horological escapement, it is necessary to set the hands from time to time and to regulate the mechanism so that the clock will run either faster, if it is losing time, or slower, if it is gaining time. It is contemplated by the present invention to provide mechanism for automatically regulating the clock so that if the clock has been running slow and it is necessary to set the hands forward, the regulating mechanism will be automatically actuated so as to cause the clock to run faster. On the other hand, if the clock has been running too fast and it is necessary to turn it back, the regulating mechanism will be automatically actuated in the proper direction so that the clock will run slower.

In addition to the above, the arrangement is such that the regulating mechanism will be actuated by movement of the setting mechanism to change the indicated time, and no other operation will be required. Also the arrangement is such that each time the hands are set, the regulation will be effected by a given predetermined amount independently of the hours or minutes through which the hands are turned to reset the clock.

The clock hands are usually set by the rotation of a setting knob or button, and it is necessary to move this button into engagement with the setting gear before rotating. In some instances it is necessary to set the hands either forwardly or backwardly to such an extent that repeated turning of the setting knob or setting shaft is necessary. It is, however, undesirable in such case to change the regulation of the clock each time the setting button or shaft is operated in the event several operations are required to set the hands to the correct time. Therefore, the arrangement is such in the present mechanism that after the regulating means has been once operated a period of time (as illustrated, not more than one hour) must elapse before the movement of the hands by the setting mechanism will again cause actuation of the regulating means.

For example, if the clock hands must be moved forward by one hour and each movement of the setting knob is such as to move the hands through only one half of that distance, the regulating mechanism will be actuated during the first movement but not during the second. Hence the regulation of the clock will always be effected ice by a predetermined amount regardless of whether the clock is set ahead or back by a great or small amount.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple and economically manufactured structure for effecting automatic regulation of a clock when the hands are set ahead or back.

Still another object of the invention is to provide automatic means for regulating a clock mechanism when the hands are set ahead or back, the regulation being made in the proper direction according to the direction in which the hands are moved, and the amount of regulation being independent of the angle through which the hands are moved.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which will be efficient in operation and which will be operative without any attention on the part of the user except that necessary to set the hands of the clock to the proper time.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a clock mechanism embodying my invention, the case being omitted to show the interior mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in another position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 4.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a clock structure largely of conventional form, the structure comprising frame members 10 and 11 between which is supported the clock mechanism or the means for driving the clock hands designated generally by the numeral 12. This mechanism may be powered in any manner such, for example, as by a clock spring, not shown, and will preferably include a driving pinion 13 and a hair spring 14.

The pinion 13 is adapted to drive a gear 15 frictionally mounted upon the shaft 16 (as will be hereinafter explained) which extends through the front plate 10 and carries the minute hand 17.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft 16 is a gear 18 secured to a hub 19 to which hub the hour hand 20 is secured. The gear 18 meshes with a pinion 21 (Fig. 2), which pinion is rotatably mounted upon the frame member 10 and secured to a gear 22 on the other side of the frame by means of the shaft 23 so that the pinion 21 and gear 22 rotate in unison at all times.

The gear 22 (Fig. 2) is in mesh with a pinion 24 secured to the shaft 16. A bowed spring or disk 25 is mounted on the shaft 16 between the gear 24 and the hub 26 of the gear 15 so as to frictionally connect the latter gear to the shaft whereby the latter will normally be driven when the gear 15 is driven. With this construction it will be seen that in normal operation of the clock, when the shaft 16 is driven by the clock work to drive the minute hand 17, the pinion 24 will also'be rotated, and through the gear 22, pinion 21 and gear 18 will drive the hour hand 20 which is secured to the hub 19 of the gear 18, thus driving the minute and hour hands in unison.

A setting shaft 30 is rotatably and slidably mounted in the frame plate 10, this shaft being provided with a knob or button 31 and being urged to the left, as shown in Fig. 2, by a spring 32, one end of which is secured to the end of the shaft 30 and the other end acting against a frame member 33. Secured to the'shaft 30 is a pinion 34 which is normally out of engagement with the gear 22 but which will engage the teeth of the latter gear when 3 the shaft 30 is drawn to the right, as shown in Fig. 2, by the knob 31, against tension of spring 32.

The shaft 30 extends loosely through a hub member 35 rotatably mounted in the frame plate 10, and this hub member carries a toothed wheel 36 adapted to be clutched to the pinion 34 when the latter is moved to the right to a position to engage the gear 22 so that, when the shaft 30 is drawn to the right and rotated to rotate the gear 22 and set the clock mechanism, the hub 35 will also be rotated. It will be understood that when this setting mechanism is actuated, the pinion 24 and the shaft 16 will also -be rotated as this pinion is at all times in mesh with the gear 22 and is secured to the shaft 16. This, however, will not effect-rotation of the driving gear 15 as it is frictionally mounted on the shaft 16 as previously explained. Therefore, the setting of the clock is effected by means of the meshing of the gear 22 wi h the pinion 24 and of the pinion 21 with the gear 18.

The mechanism by which the clock work is automatically regulated will now be described. Rotatably mounted upon the frame plate 10 is a small element 37 which is a disklike member provided with fine peripheral teeth 38. Attached to this member to rotate therewith is a regulator comprising an arm 39 designed to extend over the edge of the plate 10 and engage the hair spring 14. It will be seen, therefore, that when the element 37 is rotated, the member 39 will be shifted and engage the hair spring at a different point farther or less far removed from its secured end and, therefore, regulate the clock movement.

Means are provided to effect oscillation of the element 37 by slight increments in one direction or the other upon the rotation of the setting shaft 30. It will be recalled that when this shaft is moved to the right and rotated, the clutch member 36 and the hub 35 thereof will also be rotated. Upon this hub, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, is frictionally mounted the base 40 of a yoke member, this frictional mounting being provided by means of a spring friction disk 41 between the shoulder 42 on the hub 35 and the base 40 of the yoke member.

Extending upwardly from the yoke member are two arms 43 and 44, one lying upon each side of the element 37. These arms are resilient at their lower ends adjacent the point of attachment to the base 40 as indicated at 43 and 44, so that they will flex at this region. Beyond the resilient area the arms are so constructed as to give them rigidity so that when the yoke is moved to the right or left, flexing takes place at the resilient area of each arm while the remainder of it is substantially rigid. For this purpose the metal of the arms is displaced to form a longitudinal corrugation or rib in each, as shown at 44 (Fig. 6). With this construction the flexible area acts both as a spring, returning the yoke to its neutral position, and as a fulcrum in a U-shaped lever system comprising both arms 43 and 44 and the point of attachment of these arms to the base 40. By reason of the flexible area, the arms are normally tensioned to engage the teeth of this element if no external pressure is exerted upon either of them. That is to say, when the yoke member is in a neutral or intermediate position, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper edge of the arms 43 and 44 will be in engagement with the teeth 38 of the element 37.

Projecting upwardly from the hub 40 between the arms 43 and 44 is a lock bar 45 provided with recesses or notches 46 and 47, one at either side of the upper end of the bar, and a latch member 48 is adapted, when one or the other of the notches registers therewith, to drop into such notch and hold the arm 45 in a position to the right or left of the intermediate central position shown in Fig. l. The latch member 48 is provided upon an arm 49 pivoted to the frame at 50 and also provided with an arm 51 on the side of the pivot remote from the arm 49.

A cam member 52 (Figs. 3 and is provided upon 4 the gear 15, the hub member engages or wipes over the upper surface of the arm 51 of the pivoted latch member and moves the member 48 upwardly out of one or the other of the notches 46 and 47 if at that time it is engaged in one of these notches. Thus, when the bar 45 has been moved in one direction or the other from its neutral position shown in Fig. 5, for example, to the left, as shown in Fig. 4, the latch member 48 will be forced into the notch or recess 47 by pressure upon the member 48 of a spring 53 (Fig. 3) secured to the frame member. As the cam member 52 is mounted upon the hub 26 of the gear 15 which drives the minute hand, this cam member will each hour contact the arm 51 of the latch member and raise the latter from the recess in the bar 45 in which it may be engaged. It will be seen that this would occur each hour as the gear 15 which dnives the minute hand shaft is designed to rotate once every hour as is usual.

When the latch member 48 is raised to a position where it is not engaged in either of the recesses 46 or 47, the resilient portions of the arms 43 and 44 will move the yoke member and bar 45 to the neutral position shown in Fig. 1 in which the latch member 48 stands above the lug 54 between the recesses 46 and 47. This will be the normal position of the yoke member. I

In operation the parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 1. If it is desired to set the clock back, the setting shaft 30 will be drawn to the right and moved in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in this figure. This will rotate the hub 35 which will in turn rotate through a small angle the yoke member and bar 45 due to the frictional connection of the yoke with the hub 35. Upon this slight movement of the yoke member, the arm 43 will be moved out of engagement with the teeth 38 of the setting pinion 37 but the arm 44 remaining in engagement with these teeth will rotate the element 37 in a counterclockwise direction and, therefore, move the regulator arm 39 with respect to the hair spring 14 to effect a slower rate of the clock escapement. The movement or oscillation of the yoke 40 and the bar 45 in this operation will be determined by the position of the stop members 56 and 57 at each edge of the bar 45. In this instance the latch member 48 will drop into the recess 47 and prevent further movement to the left or in a counterclockwise direction of the yoke member, thus limiting the angle through which the setting pinion is turned and determining the amount of regulation of the clock and will prevent return movement of the yoke.

However, due to the frictional connection of the yoke 40 with the shaft 30, rotation of the latter may continue so as to set the hands to the desired time regardless of the amount of rotation of the hands which is required. The yoke 40 and bar 45 will, however, remain in the position shown in Fig. 4 during this operation as the latch member 48 will be seated in the recess 47.

As the cam member 52 is secured to the hub 26 of the gear 15, its position will not be changed by the setting operation and, therefore, during this operation it will not engage the arm 51 to withdraw the latch member 48 from its engagement with the recess 47. However, during subsequent running of the timepiece and at a time not greater than one hour from the setting operation, the cam 52 will wipe against the arm 51 and raise the latch member out of the recess 47 whereupon the arm 44, which has been tensioned by the movement of the yoke 40 in a counterclockwise direction, will cause this yoke to be again centered or moved back to its intermediate position shown in Fig. l.

It will be seen, therefore, that each time the hands of the clock are set, the regulating mechanism will be moved through a given distance or a given increment regardless of whether the hands may be set through a long or short period and that the distance through which the regulator is moved will always be the same. It will also the hub 26 of the gear 15 and, upon each revolution of b; een that it will be moved in the proper direction to properly regulate the clock and, if the hands are turned forwardly instead of rearwardly as described above, the regulating pinion 37 will be moved in the opposite direction and the latch member 48 will engage in the recess 46.

It will, of course, be understood that the amount by which the pinion 37 will be moved will be such as to make a minimum regulation. This may or may not be suflicient to cause the timepiece to keep proper time but, if it is not sufiicient, additional regulation will be effected the next time the clock hands are set in the same direction. On the other hand, if this regulation proves to be too much, adjustment will be made in the opposite direction the next time the clock is set, and in such case this next setting of the hands will be effected in the opposite direction.

It will be seen, therefore, that there is provided eflicient means which may be economically built into the ordinary clock mechanism to effect automatic regulation thereof merely by the setting of the hands of the clock without any further attention on the part of the operator. It will also be seen that each time the clock is set, the regulation will be effected by a predetermined amount and will be in the proper direction in which the hands are turned. Moreover, the distance through which the regulator is moved will always be the same and will be independent of the amount of movement given to the hands of the clock.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation including an oscillatable member, actuating means to move said rate-regulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising a yoke member on said shaft and frictionally connected thereto for oscillation thereby, said member having a pair of spaced arms resiliently connected thereto and operatively engaged with said oscillatable member, one on either side thereof, whereby said yoke member is normally urged to a neutral position and, when rotated, will effect movement of said regulating means by one of said arms.

2. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation including an oscillatable member, actuating means to move said rate-regulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising a yoke member frictionally mounted on said shaft for movement thereby, said member having a pair of spaced arms connected thereto and operatively engaged with said oscillatable member, one on either side thereof, whereby said yoke member, when rotated, will effect movement of said regulating means by one of said arms, the direction of said movement being controlled by the direction of movement of said setting shaft, and means biasing said yoke member toward neutral position.

3. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation including an oscillatable member, actuating means to move said rate-regulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising a yoke member on said shaft and frictionally connected thereto for oscillation thereby, said member having a pair of spaced arms resiliently connected thereto and operatively engaged with said oscillatable merither, one on either side thereof, whereby said yoke member is normally urged to a neutral position and, when rotated, will etfect movement of said regulating means by one of said arms, means to lock said yoke member against further movement after a predetermined movement thereof by said shaft, and means controlled by the driving means for releasing said locking means.

4. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation including an oscillatable member, actuating means to move said rate-regulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising a yoke member on said shaft and frictionally connected thereto for oscillation thereby, said member having a pair of spaced arms resiliently connected thereto and operatively engaged with said oscillatable member, one on either side thereof, whereby said yoke member is normally urged to a neutral position and, when rotated, will effect movement of said regulating means by one of said arms, means to lock said yoke member against further movement after a predetermined movement thereof by said shaft, means controlled by the driving means for releasing said locking means, and said arms, after release of said locking means, returning said yoke member to its neutral position.

5. A clock mechanism including time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation, said regulating means including a pinion having teeth thereon, actuating means to move said regulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising a yoke member oscillated by said shaft in the direction in which said shaft is turned, said member having a pair of spaced arms resiliently connected thereto and engaging the teeth of said pinion, one on each side thereof whereby said yoke member is normally urged to a neutral position in which both arms engage said pinion and whereby, when said shaft is rotated, one of said arms will effect rotation of the pinion in a direction controlled by the direction of rotation of the shaft.

6. A clock mechanism as in claim 5 wherein said yoke member is frictionally driven by said shaft to permit movement of the shaft independently of the yoke member, and means are provided to limit movement of the yoke member after a predetermined movement thereof by said shaft.

7. A clock mechanism as in claim 6 wherein one of said arms is tensioned by movement of the yoke member in one direction to return the member to the position from which it is moved after release of the locking means.

8. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation, actuating means to move said rateregulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising an oscillatable member moved by said shaft in the direction in which said shaft is moved, means locking said member in the position to which it is thus moved to prevent further movement thereof by immediate additional rotation of the setting shaft in either direction, and means actuated by the clock mechanism to release said locking means.

9. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means for said indicating means, means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower opera tion, actuating means to move said rate-regulating means to change the adjustment thereof and connections between said setting means and said actuating means to actuate the latter to move the regulating means a fixed amount during initial movement of the setting means, means to lock said actuating means against further movement beyond said fixed amount, means to lock said actuating means against return movement, means controlled by the operation of the driving means to release said locking means, and means to return said actuating means, upon release of said locking means, to the position from which it is moved.

'10. A clock mechanism comprising time-indicating means, driving means for said indicating means, setting means comprising a setting shaft, regulating means for controlling the rate of the clock mechanism for faster or slower operation, actuating means to move said rateregulating means to change the adjustment thereof, said actuating means comprising an oscillata'ble member moved by said shaft in the direction in which said shaft is moved, means locking said member against return movement, means controlled by the driving means for releasing said locking means, and means. for returning said member to the position from which it has been moved, after the release of said locking means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,542,430 Rabinow e Feb. 20, 1951 2,554,029 Holdman May 22, 1951 2,858,029 Rabinow Oct. 28, 1958 

